Hi.
Some threads ago, somebody asked about the difference between a mechanic and a fitter. I think it depends if you are civilian or military.
From what I can gather (happy to be corrected) a civilian mechanic "fixes" faults on a vehicle, while a civilian fitter just replaces the defective part, which implies that a mechanic is cleverer than a fitter.
I joined the RAF in 1958, as a mechanic, which meant 13 weeks trade training at RAF Weeton (somewhere near the North Pole ... wake up with frost on your blankets) Somehow, I was immediately "up-flighted" several weeks, for fill a vacancy in an earlier entry, so only did five weeks training. On completion, I was transferred to Permanent Staff. Probably a compliment, but it felt like a punishment. I quickly found out that being permanent on a training camp is heaven ... immediately given a pair of two bladed propellers to sew on my sleeves, followed soon after by another trade test, and a pair of three bladed propellers.
The next move up the ladder was to Juniour Technician, but that meant six months , as a trainee, again at RAF Weeton, which did not seem a nice idea. I volunteered for a range of 12-month unaccompanied (no wives) postings ... Arabian Peninsular, Gan in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and Christmas Island in the middle of the Pacific.
I was posted to RAF Sharjah, two hoots and a holler from Dubai. The working day started at 07.00hrs, but ended at 13.00hrs as it was too hot to work in the afternoon. I became the permanent volunteer driver (Bedford RL 4x4) for the daily run to Khan Creek, where we could swim in a sort of lagoon. If you walked along the beach, several young sharks would follow you. A fresh film was shown on the open air cinema every night. Almost, but not quite heaven.
On return to UK, I was posted to RAF Barnham near Thetford, which at the time I didn't realise was another compliment. A Google for
X-flight RAF Barnham, might produce some photos, but the official history varies from my memories. Barnham closed down, and it's convoy duties were moved to it's sister camp at RAF Faldingworth, near RAF Scampton (of Dambusters fame) and a few miles North of Lincoln.
I can't remember if it was Barnham or Faldingworth that made it onto Google. Try a search for NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS UK. A Leyland Hippo's engine started drinking it's own sump oil, which had been diluted by fuel from fractured spill-back pipe. The driver ratcheted up his handbrake, and evacuated ... managing to knock the handbrake off in the process. Hippo engines were 10,000cc, and peaked at 1500rpm, but this one was screaming, as the driverless truck trundled down the hill, and crashed into a cottage, waking the old couple who were upstairs in bed.
The driver ran after his truck, and tried to turn of the fuel tap (brave man), but found it was just a vibrating blur. And then the engine died down to a tick-over ... presumably having consumed enough sump "oil" to prevent further frothing. Time for the fat lady to sing.
Later, there were discussions about the effectiveness of discharging a gas (
CO2?) fire extinguisher into the Hippo's induction air cleaner, which was situated behind the cab.
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